Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional construction for placement of gaskets adjacent the valve plate in a piston-type compressor is shown. Valve plate 1 is coupled to one end surface of cylinder block 2 through gaskets 3. The other end surface of valve plate 1 is coupled to cylinder head 4 through gasket 5. Through the reciprocating movement of the pistons, the refrigerant is taken into cylinder 6 from suction chamber 7 through suction hole 71 formed in valve plate 1. Compressed refrigerant gas in cylinder 6 is discharged to discharge chamber 8 through discharge hole 81 formed in valve plate 1.
In the above construction, cylinder block 2, gaskets 3 and 5, valve plate 1 and cylinder head 4 are aligned parallel to one another on the compressor. A disadvantage of this construction is that, because high pressure caused by liquid compression within the compressor acts in a direction normal to gasket 3 disposed between the cylinder block and the valve plate, a high pressure force is exerted directly on the gasket. Over time, this high pressure force expands the gasket outwardly until the gasket finally breaks down.